Friday, February 8, 2013

Old, Battered William Morris Trunk


I haven't put together many miniature kits. The ones I have done usually have directions that I toss in the bin as soon as I read them through. I can't remember ever following anything they said to do verbatim, if at all.

This time was no exception. I glued on all the "Lithograph paper" my way. The directions were ridiculously laborious. For some stupid reason I followed their recommendation to use Zap-A-Gap to glue the brass pieces on the trunk. OMG! That sort of glue has to have exposure to air to dry. Which is almost impossible under metal. I fought the slippery brass hardware to stay in place until I was ready to scream.

The whole time I was doing it I kept thinking.... Go get the BARGE rubber cement. About the time I was going to glue on the last three pieces I went and found the BARGE. It worked perfectly... NO mess, NO waiting, NO slipping around. Lesson learned.

29 comments:

  1. Your trunk is exquisite, Catherine! Thanks so much for the name of that cement glue. I must try it.

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  2. Hello Catherine,
    I really like your trunk, amazing work!
    Magda

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  3. Catherine, you attack kits the way that I do. First step...toss the directions. The trunk turned out great. I love anything William Morris. Beautifully done!

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  4. Another job VERY well done....this is what I enjoy about kits, you can make them to how you prefer. I like it very much!!!!

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  5. Love it -- such harmonious colours! I hate when instructions aren't clear or, worse, are unhelpful, as those seemed to be ...

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  6. Your trunk turned out very well. The tones on the WM paper are lovely.
    Regards Janine

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  7. HAHAHA ummm teeeheee don't want to laugh so hard...but I have met some instructions that made no sense myself! Contact cement is a good bet. The trunk looks fabulous :) :)

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  8. Hello Catherine,
    Despite all the inconveniences of the kit, your trunk is very successful.
    About my blog (www.montoutpetitmonde2.blogspot.fr) I already have a "traduction gadget". I moved it just below my Profile. I hope you can use it.
    Bye.
    Muriellisa

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  9. I've never heard of Barge cement but it is something I'll put on my shopping list. I often need to glue metal to wood and the two-part adhesive I use is a pain.
    Cool trunk

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  10. Pretty trunk! Great work Catherine! Why use their glue when you know what works best? :):)
    Hugs

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  11. It is beautiful Catherine, you make the most interesting things.

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  12. Lovely trunk! Sounds like the Barge cement is a must have. They have Barge cement on Amazon. It's quite expensive, so I hope it will last a long time. Thanks for the tip!

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  13. Hello Catherine, I gave you some trouble to make this miniature....but oh my; the result is worth it!

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  14. It is so nice to see comments from old friends and so many new people. Thank you for visiting and taking your time to leave a message.

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  15. It's a lovely piece and I like the colours.

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  16. Sorry you had so much glue-drama! But in spite of all that, your trunk turned out beautifully. My compliments!

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  17. Your trunk is fabulous! I like the colors.
    Bye Faby

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  18. LOL
    I do not ever feel more presumptuous to throw away the instructions for the kit and do it my way :-D
    Beautiful trunk, my dear
    Lovely hugs
    Flora

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  19. I love WM prints and the trunk turned out great, cruddy glue aside it looks amazing. where did you find the kit?

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  20. Wow! This is an exceptionally beautiful piece. I just love William Morris, the design works so perfectly on this trunk, so timeless. I hate following instructions too, usually logic works best.

    Fi x

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  21. Even with the frustration of putting it together, you have produced a wonderful piece again! Love the faint William Morris paper on it, what a marvellous piece to have in a bedroom or attic!
    We don't have zap-a-gap or Barge glue here so I have no experience in using either. Is Barge rubber cement similar to other rubber cement glues, the ones I used for glueing photos? (where you can just rub the excess glue away?)

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  22. Fabulous and so beautiful!
    Hugs
    Kikka

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  23. Josje,

    Barge is the very best rubber cement there is. I buy it on Amazon. Yes you can rub the excess off.

    Tina,

    The kit was a gift.

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  24. Hi Catherine, kits are a bit like computers they simply never do what they are supposed to do!! Good job!!

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  25. Hi Catherine! Your trunk is very nice!..I did the same one some time ago, you can see it here http://lascosasdemariaayamontino.blogspot.com.es/2012/03/baul-williams-morris.html
    Really it is difficult to follow the instructions to stick the small pieces. I used a simple glue of contact and it me was OK. Congratulations for the result. Hugs

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  26. I don't think there is a miniaturist alive, that doesn't have their favorite glues that they Know are tried and true! We all know how crucial they are for what we do and it is nothing but a pain when the glue suggested is inadequate! I don't know what the kit was supposed to look like, but what it DOES look like, is like a trunk with history! Very Nicely done!

    elizabeth

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